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Bruce Bartlett: Rick Perry an 'idiot'

Perry hits Obama on Syria

Perry at Iowa State Fair

POLITICO 44

In a series of interviews, uncommitted Republican members praised the Texas governor’s economic record but called his suggestion that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is guilty of treason a serious misstep and said that kind of inflammatory talk could scare off swing voters.

House Republicans from heavily suburban districts were particularly uneasy about the Bernanke remark and Perry’s refusal to say whether President Barack Obama is a patriot. These members, some of them facing potentially tough reelection campaigns next year, urged the White House hopeful to stick to core issues of jobs and spending.

“You can’t be calling Bernanke a traitor and you can’t be questioning whether or not Barack Obama loves America, that type of thing,” said Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee and veteran Long Island incumbent. “I’ve been with Perry a few times, and I can see how he could project, again, if it’s done the right way. But no, if he continues this, he’ll have a tough time.”

Rep. Charlie Bass (R-N.H.), who lost his seat in the 2006 Democratic sweep only to win it back in last year’s Republican resurgence, represents the Boston suburbs that line his state’s southern border and bridled at the Bernanke statement.

“Intimating the Federal Reserve Chairman is guilty of treason is not going to create more confidence in voters about you,” said Bass, whose father also served in Congress. “I would suspect Gov. Perry regrets that statement.”

Peter Roskam (R-Ill.), the Chief Deputy Whip and an emerging political powerhouse in suburban Chicago, added of the treason reference: “That’s not something you want to lead with if you’re trying to get independents to come your way. I would imagine that he’s thinking through his strategy.”

Home for the August recess — though they all prefer to call it the “District Work Period” — the Republicans said activists in their districts were still assessing the options in a presidential race that has been remarkably fluid. But all three said GOP voters were upbeat about their White House prospects and focused on a matrix of fundamental issues.

“People are looking for the jobs contrast, the regulatory contrast and the spending contrast,” said Roskam, noting that Perry’s “great strength is going to be the jobs argument.”

And that’s why so many Republicans sighed when the Texan, after an impressive weekend campaign rollout, suggested Bernanke be given a measure of frontier justice. It underscored Perry’s biggest potential weakness in a general election — what some worry is a “cowboy problem.”

What Perry is saying is correct. He is saying that printing money is not going to get us out of our debt problem. He was speaking to an individual, not delivering an address, when his colloquialism was recorded. I see no huge problem with that.

We do need leadership that will take a firm stand on our debt problem. We cannot borrow more money from new savers. Where are they?

where was the firm stand by your parties leaders during the bush/cheney cabals 8 yrs of taxpayers money being wasted to the tune of 12 billion dollars per month in a country that had zero to do with 9/11?.....................................

Perry is W 2.0. The whole cowboy thing worked once but won't work this time around. Perry is a regional candidate, ... at best.

It's gotta be Romney or Huntsman (or someone yet to jump in) if Republicans want to sweep up and down the ballot. Obama could still lose to another Republican candidate but it would be tougher for Republicans to dominate. Romney/Sandoval is my prediction for the final winner of 2012.

Regardless of the rest, I would hate to see Perry in a debate but would love to see Herman Cain in a debate with Obama.

Perry said if he runs he will "be himself." I do hope so. He is going to make interesting reading material weekly in a rather dull period. And then when things heat up, he will be unable to backtrack, being himself and all. If voters are paying attention and if he's the nominee in a general election, Americans will have the choice of Obama trying to be a centrist (and maybe not succeeding), and Perry coming from the shoot-em-up-right (and certainly succeeding). It might turn out to be an election based on logic for Americans. Save the country by staying right down the middle. But how well do Americans assess 'logic' and politics? It may be their first try at this exercise.

Bernanke has printed billions for QE1 and QE2 and given $600 billion of our taxpayer dollars to European banks. If that's not treason it's pretty close.!! Cowardly RINO'S and old boy repubs and Boehner are worthless . Time for some fresh TEA party members that won't sell America down the drain.

You can’t be calling Bernanke a traitor and you can’t be questioning whether or not Barack Obama loves America, that type of thing,” said Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.),

Well apparently Slick Rick has a long history of treating people "ugly" down there in Texas...................yep olde Slick Rick has a lot of enemies. I was talking to one of my suppliers from Texas yesterday about Slick Rick and she said ........"well if you don't have anything nice to say then I won't saw anything at all". She said a lot of people in Texas are embarrased by the guy.......lol

Now the MSM wolfpack is coming out with all kinds of stuff now but the most interesting is the Texas has a high unemployment rate of 8.2%.................yeah we all heard all the meaningless stats on how Texas has created 40% of all the jobs but the bottom line is Texas has a much higher unemployment rate then what they should have being an Oil State...

As a matter of fact the states that surround Texas.............NM (New Mexico’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 6.8 percent in June 2011) ........OK...5.3%.........LA...7.8%.............all have lower state unemployment rates........who knew?

Never the less this West Texas cowboy is going to be very tough to beat because he knows how to campaign and he's a pure politician ...........

Romney/Rubio................... this team can get America moving again............

Perry is a wild, loose-lipped libertarian in Republican clothing. Like Paul, he's a government parasite yet ironically seeks the destruction of government by running for our highest office in government. As a student at A&M, he proved he is less than mediocre as a thinker and seriously undereducated: (9 D's & 1 F & only 2 A's in 4 years) no classic literature, no sociology or psychology or anthropology; no philosophy (which means no courses in ethics); a single U.S. History class (D) and a lonely Principles of Economics (D) won't serve him well. The guy slaps the "unconstitutional" label on nearly everything he doesn't like: Social Security, Medicaid, Affordable Healthcare, Consumer Protection Bureau, federal financial regulatory reform -- you name it, Perry is against it. I don't think Romney, the RINO, has much to worry about in Perry, who carries with him everywhere he goes and every time he opens his mouth the ghost of George W. Bush. I don't want a made-over Perry. I want the man he is to be on display. I want his true feelings and beliefs to be conveyed by his words and behavior; that should be plenty to sink his presidential ship.

No other candidate has Mitt's superhuman ability to adapt his position on the issues to whatever electorate he's facing.............

Mitt has proven he can bend his position on every issue to please an electorate as liberal as Massachusetts or as conservative as the GOP primary voters..................

Especially health care reform! Mitt knows that it's BAD for AMERICA to make people buy health insurance, because AMERICA is a country, but GOOD for MASSACHUSETTS to make people buy health insurance, because PEOPLE LIKE IT when STATES make them buy health insurance!

And he knows that it's not important to be against abortion and gay rights unless you're talking to conservative Republican primary voters.............

AND - MITT knows that CORPORATIONS are PEOPLE! That's why he'll be naming a CORPORATION as his VP NOMINEE!!!!!

Perry is a wild, loose-lipped libertarian in Republican clothing. Like Paul, he's a government parasite yet ironically seeks the destruction of government by running for our highest office in government. As a student at A&M, he proved he is less than mediocre as a thinker and seriously undereducated: (9 D's & 1 F & only 2 A's in 4 years) no classic literature, no sociology or psychology or anthropology; no philosophy (which means no courses in ethics); a single U.S. History class (D) and a lonely Principles of Economics (D) won't serve him well. The guy slaps the "unconstitutional" label on nearly everything he doesn't like: Social Security, Medicaid, Affordable Healthcare, Consumer Protection Bureau, federal financial regulatory reform -- you name it, Perry is against it. I don't think Romney, the RINO, has much to worry about in Perry, who carries with him everywhere he goes and every time he opens his mouth the ghost of George W. Bush. I don't want a made-over Perry. I want the man he is to be on display. I want his true feelings and beliefs to be conveyed by his words and behavior; that should be plenty to sink his presidential ship.Reply